New recipients of our Early Career Researcher Network Seed Fund Programme have been announced. The scheme helps outstanding early-career researchers build their research portfolios and take a key step toward future funding opportunities. Learn more about the awarded projects: https://bit.ly/46StqZm
- The day ended with a discussion featuring our President Susan J Smith, Malcolm Press of Universities UK and journalist Samira Ahmed. They shared their views on how to tell a better story about higher education and research.
- In a workshop chaired by Sarah Cowan, attendees explored and created models for future universities, based on possible functions and purposes.
- A lively debate between Dr Oonagh Murphy and Professor Tom Stoneham on if "responsible" AI in research is truly achievable.
- In a collaborative strategy session led by Jaya Gajparia, Alex Lewis, Professor Margot Finn FBA, and Isabella Mascarenhas (Black Researcher Consortium), attendees explored practical ways to ensure more voices are heard and valued in SHAPE research.
In case you missed it: our SHAPE Conference brought together some of the leading experts from across the humanities and social sciences for timely and thought-provoking conversations. Here are some of the highlights 🧵
We would like thank the presenters who designed our 'Most Original' award winning poster – ‘Enabling Equitable Research Partnerships in Transdisciplinary Research: The Value of Arts-based methodologies’. See all winning posters and poster submissions on our website: https://bit.ly/4ll3QSw
We would like to celebrate the poster and presenters who won our 'People's Choice' award at the Second Conference on Equitable Partnerships in Pretoria, South Africa. Thank you for sharing this important research.
See all winning posters and poster submissions on our website: https://bit.ly/4rXCZyu
Does AI risk repeating colonial erasure on a digital scale?
A new article in Times Higher Education draws on research by @jeater.bsky.social funded by the British Academy, exploring how AI’s training data and linguistic norms reflect the Global North’s historical dominance.
https://bit.ly/4sE53qF
What happens when disability becomes a driving subject of intellectual and political inquiry? Professor Dan Goodley challenges the pathologising assumptions embedded in higher education and explores how depathologising the university could help reimagine society: https://bit.ly/4l84dzW
We are pleased to announce the latest cohort of SHAPE Involve and Engage awardees, who will be working with various partner organisations in the GLAM sector to help bring the humanities and social sciences closer to the public. Read more about the projects here: https://bit.ly/4suMO75
Dr William Allen reflected on his journey and valuable advice from a colleague regarding the PDF: "Treat it as a launchpad and not as a cushion."
"The PDF was transformative. I love the use of the spectre of a bridge, tiding you over choppy waters. The next bridge needs to be one that more people can cross."
- Dr Daisy Ogembo, a Research Fellow and alumni from the 2019 PDF cohort.
Professor Mike Braddick FBA (1991 PDF cohort) shared views on the current landscape - one major difference that he sees a "twilight zone" of precarity for ECRs now, where they may be on fixed-term teaching-only contracts, which didn't exist in his time. The panel likened the PDF to a bridge.
More highlights from #SHAPEConference26:
The flagship Postdoctoral Fellowships (PDF) scheme celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. In a session chaired by Evelyn Welch, panellists shared their stores and reflected on precarity in research across the decades.
Vivienne Stern MBE reflects: "You get the system that you produce the incentives for and there is an absence of stewardship in the current system. Mergers aren't a solution to the disappearance of disciplines, but how might universities pool resources?"
Dame Shirley Pearce touched on the role of the regulator and whether it has the powers it needs to address the problems at hand.
Do we need to move towards strategic support for specific subject areas?
Professor Adam Tickell stated the need for leadership to address the current system, asking what do the public want from universities and how will it be funded? A bipartisan figure to lead in answering these questions is necessary.
Leading figures from Higher Education (HE) came together in our 'Learning from our own history' session to discuss recent reviews of the sector, their success and failures, and their effects on policy between and since.
#SHAPEConference26
Finally he stated the importance of international collaborations: "We can't do it alone and we shouldn't try - we benefit from people and ideas around the world. And we know that when we collaborate we do better than we do alone."
His fourth priority called for closer inspection of "what all this means for citizens". How we can articulate what the benefits are to people? SHAPE is indispensable for this.
Priority three concerned companies and their growth. He spoke of a healthy startup system in the UK, with a need to ensure they're able to scale, and that R&D intensive companies get the support they need.
His second priority focuses on applied research, where outcomes may be more readily identified: "These outcomes should be defined in terms of societal benefit and government priorities."
The foremost priority, was to protect and grow curiosity-driven research which he described as "the bedrock of everything". He recognised the challenges of this, without the ability to show any economic benefit within any one parliamentary term.
Lord Vallance laid out his five overall priorities for the research and innovation system. 🧵
#SHAPEConference26
Lord Vallance, Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear, was welcomed by our President Susan J. Smith. His keynote began with strong support the Academy's role in research. #SHAPEConference26
Fantastic to have Science Minister Lord Vallance open our @britishacademy.bsky.social sector conference this morning. He talks eloquently about protecting and growing curiosity driven research which does not provide a return during a single Parliamentary cycle
Big day ahead as we have our annual @britishacademy.bsky.social sector conference including a keynote from Science Minister Lord Vallance.
I’ll be chairing a panel with Philip Augar, Shirley Pearce, Vivienne Stern & Adam Tickell on what we can learn from all those reviews of HE.
Stay tuned!
The Arts and Humanities Alliance is proud to sponsor the 2026 @britishacademy.bsky.social SHAPE conference. Our session is Myth busting for the public with @ritagardner.bsky.social @jennyrichards.bsky.social & @sebgordon1.bsky.social
Chair @emmacayley.bsky.social www.eventbrite.com/e/shape-conf...
